Grandma Chuck, is that you?

[CharlieAt]

Jets scrambled when elderly woman's plane violates airspace
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/US/08/05/illinois.elderly.pilot.intercepted/index.html?iref=obinsite
aka 75 year-old in a kitfox gets a 2 F-16 escort after violating a tfr

questions over questions:

how do you get a F-16 down to 75kts?
how do you take up radio contact with the stall-horn blaring?
does she get a 'chuck is that you?' t-shirt?

charlie

[Stef]

Hey!! A "Chuck, is that you?" t-shirt! That's a great idea! We should totally make one... There are many more occasions in a pilot's carreer to give this shirt than our "first solo flight" shirt. 

[Ragwing]

South Barrington police said Rose either didn't have her radio on, or the radio was not functioning

Many of these light weight aircraft don't have radios.  Duh.

[cotejy]

how do you get a F-16 down to 75kts?

Someone I know had a flight plan problem over the US-Canada border and was "visited" by a few F-16's. He said they don't fly with you. It's more something like: you go straigt and level, they occupy the airspace around you.  Cicliling, passing below, over, they are all over the place...

[tundra_flier]

Sounds like she just didn't check for TFR's that day.  Afraid I'd don't either most days.  Good thing the president doesn't visit Alaska. 

Phil

[Mike]

We had a lady land her plane (some low wing Piper) in Panaca last year. When she taxied to the ramp she was met by local law enforcement and spent hours on the phone with all kinds of agencies...
Turns out she busted through a bunch of restricted airspace around "Area 51" but luckily missed the actual Groom Lake area. ATC told her to lannd immediately at the nearest airport.
When she came back she found out that there is no fuel in Panaca and she was just about out from flying around the restricted areas trying to find her way.
We got her straightened out and pointed her towards St. George. She was totally frazzled and lost.
What a learning experience, huh?!

Not sure what she would have done if we were on a fire and there was nobody in Panaca to hold her hand and get her back on the straight an narrow.....